Homeless camp rousted, fence going up

Jesina Hardig, 35, gets ready to leave the camp. She said she was hoping to get a room from the city.

Jesina Hardig, 35, gets ready to leave the camp. She said she was hoping to get a room from the city.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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City homeless initiatives chief Bevan Dufty talks with Vanessa Romo and her boyfriend Kurth Reis about getting into city services after leaving their camp.

City homeless initiatives chief Bevan Dufty talks with Vanessa Romo and her boyfriend Kurth Reis about getting into city services after leaving their camp.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Lisa Ross folds a flag as she packs up.

Lisa Ross folds a flag as she packs up.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Matthew "Sticks" Wells, left, gets help moving his belongings.

Matthew "Sticks" Wells, left, gets help moving his belongings.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Randy Stone tows his belongings from the camp.

Randy Stone tows his belongings from the camp.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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A pair of shoes at the camp.

A pair of shoes at the camp.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Some of the furniture used at the encampment.

Some of the furniture used at the encampment.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Tony Ford, who calls himself the "dean" of the camp, gets ready to vacate.

Tony Ford, who calls himself the "dean" of the camp, gets ready to vacate.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Tony Ford pets Negro the pooh as they prepare to leave.

Tony Ford pets Negro the pooh as they prepare to leave.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The S.F. Chronicle

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Homeless camp rousted, fence going up

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Police and cleanup workers rousted the city’s biggest homeless camp yet again on Monday — but as the folks with badges, brooms and offers of counseling trooped in, they brought what they believe is a game-changing new twist.

They brought a one-way ticket to a defacto triage center a few blocks away, where the 30 or so campers will be able to stay for the next three days.

There, at the City of Refuge church on Howard Street, the displaced homeless people can sleep and eat while they look over offers of housing, drug rehab and a cluster of other services that might change their lives for the better.

With the state now erecting a thick fence to keep people away from the campsite situated under the Interstate 280 on-ramp alongside the Caltrain station, there’s not much chance the longtime colony be able to go back. But if they aren’t captivated by an offer to move inside or enroll in a program in this brief moment when the city has their attention, they in all likelihood will wind up back in the streets — and possibly right back near their old stomping grounds.

“As much as we’re putting up a barrier, I’m trying make this transition into services barrier-free for the people here,” Dufty said Monday as he helped organize transit from the camp to the church.

The success of his effort will rest in no small part in how quickly city workers can connect the homeless with housing, counseling and the like. Short of winding up in court, the homeless generally can’t be forced to accept much of anything.

And though many on Monday said they were grateful to get new offers of help, some said they were leery.

“They’ve told me before they were going to get me a room, and then they’d say they were overbooked,” said Tony Ford, 49, a leader in the little colony who called himself its “dean.”

“I’ll see what they’ve got, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.